Revelation 5:1-5

‘Tis the church triumphant singing, worthy the Lamb!’ That’s the glorious theme of Revelation 5. It’s woven like a golden thread into the fabric of the entire chapter. And by the time we come to the end of it, we hear praise in heaven as they sing a new song unto the Lord. I often think of it as ‘the song of the soul set free.’ But, you know, this amazing book is a book of song. There are quite a number of anthems in the . For example, in chapter one, we have ‘the song that angels cannot sing.’ There we read of One who loves us, One who loosed us and One who lifted us. It pays eloquent tribute to the dramatic change which brings to a life, he turns it round for the better, he gives us something worth living for, and he gives us something to look forward to in all our tomorrows. When you fast forward to chapter 15 you come across a double-barrelled song, it’s called ‘the song of Moses and the Lamb.’ Here we have a people on the move, a people marching forward, a people en route to the land of promise, for this is the song they sang away back in Exodus 15. It’s a song of three parts. Much is made of the greatness of God in the first stanza and that is best seen in all his marvellous works, a lot is said in the second verse about the goodness of God and that is highlighted in his mysterious ways, and in the third part the song reflects the wonder of the glory of God and that shines through in his majestic worth. It’s a song of freedom, a song of deliverance, a song of liberation. The last song we read about is found in chapter 19 and it’s the one we could call ‘Heaven’s Hallelujah Chorus.’ It’s a grand finale when all the host of the redeemed cry out, ‘for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.’ It’s that magic moment when Handel’s Messiah becomes a wonderful reality before our eyes and ears! That’s just a selection of some of the songs we read about in the Revelation. It proves the point that God’s people are a saved people, and at the same time, they’re a singing people. Right here in chapter 5 the main beam is shining on the Lord Jesus , he is centre stage, and it is to him that the praise and worship is directed. And rightly so! After all, that’s what true spiritual worship is all about, it’s ascribing worth unto him, he desires it, and he deserves it. Can you imagine the scene for a moment in your mind’s eye? There is John, the beloved apostle, he’s an old man now, one minute he’s a prisoner in exile on the rugged isle of , and the next minute he’s transported by the Spirit into the throne room of heaven, what an experience that must have been for John. Surely, it was unforgettable, it was mind- blowing. He would never be quite the same again, he would be forever spoiled for life on planet earth. It seems to me that the marvellous thrill for John is to see the Lamb become the centre of everything that is happening, he occupies a place in heaven where he is seen to be pre-eminent, and slowly but surely John’s heart and mind are drawn towards him, this one who is in the midst of the throne fills John’s vision, and the ageing apostle is quite enthralled, he’s spellbound. When you read through the chapter you quickly discover that the Lamb is the theme of their song, the Lamb is the centre of their thoughts, the Lamb is the object of their adoration; the reason why is fairly obvious, it’s because ‘the Lamb is all the glory in Immanuel’s land!’ And now for John, the Lamb steps into the spotlight, every eye is gazing upon him, I think that’s what the poet had in mind when he penned the words: ‘Lamb of God our souls adore thee, while upon thy face we gaze.’ We have the sight that John saw in verse one where we read: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with . What we have here is a scroll and the question needs to be asked, what are we to make of that? We can explain it like this: the scroll represents God’s plan of history from eternity to eternity. It’s an official document that will determine the outcome of life on planet earth. It unveils the destiny of the nations, it shows the crisis and climax of global history. It’s a seven sealed book and it could be spoken of as the title deeds of the earth. It represents all that the Father promised to the Son because of his sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. Roman law actually required that a will was to be sealed seven times, history confirms that the wills of Caesar Augustus and Emperor Vespasian were sealed in this way, so what we have here then is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. The book in the hand of God is a binding document which is relevant to the redemption of the world. It’s a sealed scroll, it’s a legal document, it belongs to the one who has paid the price and therefore has the legal right to open it and reveal what is written on it. I think we need to remember that a lot of the symbols contained in the book of the Revelation must be interpreted in the light of the Old Testament. This one goes back to Jeremiah 32. This chapter explains the thinking behind the law as regards the redemption of a piece of land. Its primary purpose was to help those in Israel who fell behind with the repayment of their debts, the bottom line is that those who got behind automatically lost their land, their land was forfeited, but they were not without hope. All was not lost as these folks still had the right to buy back their land at some point in the future. Even if they didn’t take advantage of this facility, even if they couldn’t, the law made it absolutely clear that after a prescribed period of time their heir or next of kin could buy it, in this way their land remained in the family and could be handed down from generation to generation. What we have depicted here in Jeremiah 32 is an occasion where God told his servant that his cousin Hanamel would ask him to redeem a field at Anathoth in the territory of . Jeremiah did all he was meant to do and he bought it for seventeen shekels of silver. But there’s more! When his cousin lost the plot of land, two scrolls or contracts containing terms of reference for redeeming the land were drafted. One scroll became a public record and was there for all to see, it wasn’t sealed. The second scroll was rolled up and sealed with seven seals and placed in a clay jar for safe storage at the temple. It was brought out only when someone showed proof of their right to redeem the land. After this happened, the temple priest would retrieve the scroll, unseal it, and read it; if everything was in order, the redeemer would receive all ownership of the land. You can see the analogy, can’t you: when God created all things, he gave the earth to man, but Adam sinned and lost it to Satan. Jesus is the redeemer, and he is the one who can buy it back. That’s what he did at Calvary. It’s his, it belongs to him. We’re told elsewhere that he is the heir of all things! Just before we move on to the next verse, it’s worth noting that the scroll was written on both sides. This is quite amazing for the ancients hardly ever wrote on both sides of a scroll. Generally speaking, only one side was formed smooth for writing, while the back side was rough and uneven. A scroll with writing on both sides is symbolic of a full and important message. We’ll find out more about that as we go along. The fact that God’s plan was written in the form of a scroll rather than simply being revealed by a voice is also very significant. A written scroll is symbolic of something which is permanent, it’s about truth which is indelible. What God has written, no one can amend! It is truth unchanged, it is truth unchanging! There’s a serious challenge issued in verse 2 where we read: and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’ Here the question is asked, the gauntlet is thrown down! He’s more or less saying, who is worthy to rule the world? The one who is doing the asking is an angel. The word ‘mighty’ in relation to the angel could emphasise the importance of the angel and his message, but it could also be a clue as to which angel is involved. Some teachers hold that it refers to the angel Gabriel whose name means ‘strength of God.’ You’ll remember it was Gabriel who communicated to Daniel about future events, you read that in Daniel 8:16. The Greek word here for ‘proclaiming’ speaks of a herald passing on the precise message which he has been given. That means, he would make no comments on it, he would add no commentary to it, he would not attempt to explain it in any way, he would simply tell it like it is! The fact that he conveyed the message with a ‘loud voice’ implies that this message is one of great concern and of the utmost urgency. It underlines the gravity of the message, the sheer importance of what is being said. It is God’s word and it cannot be taken lightly. God has spoken, and that’s it!

The question posed by the angel in verse 2 was: who is worthy; he didn’t ask, who is willing? Now, you know as well as I do, that down through the years there have been many who have been willing, they have been keen and enthusiastic to rule the world, it has been the dream of many a world leader, it has been the aspiration of many a dictator. The prospect of world domination has appealed to quite a few across the decades. For many religions it has been their avowed intention, it has been their goal and ambition, they want to rule the world! There are people today who are devotees of one cult or another who are fanatical in their pursuit of global supremacy, and woe betides anyone who stands in their way. This has been the driving force behind many individuals over the centuries, it remains the ultimate thing to play for in the hands of some of those who are major players on the stage of world politics. Some of the key movers and shakers in today’s generation will tell you as much, they have no inhibitions, this is what fires them, they eat it, they drink it, they sleep it, it’s a passion! Oh yes, they’re willing! There’s no question about that! Now, you’re maybe thinking, ‘ah, that’s a bit far fetched, you’re pushing it too far.’ Well, not really, I don’t think so; when you look back, it’s all happened before, and you know, history has a canny way of repeating itself! Let me show you what I mean: you only have to go as far back as Nebuchadnezzar and you see what I mean, he was number one in the pecking order so far as was concerned. But his empire soon fell. Alexander the Great thought he had achieved a Utopian empire. He wept when there were no more worlds to conquer. He had it made! In the space of a year, he was a dead man, and within a handful of years, his empire soon disintegrated. Julius Caesar led his legions across the face of Europe to impose the Pax Romana upon the world by force of arms. History tells us that Rome ultimately fell, there was moral corruption on the inside, and there were assaults from the outside by northern barbarians. It seems to me that the graveyards of history are littered with fallen conquerors and their shattered dreams. Charlemagne and Napoleon, each in his own way and each in his own time, sought to place the world under the banner of France; Hitler in the last great war envisioned a worldwide Reich that would last for a millennium; that’s only a handful of better known illustrations which I have culled from the past to prove the point. They are yesterday’s men. You see, the best of men, and the worst of men, have all gone down this road. They have one common denominator, they have all failed, because not one of them is worthy! There’s nothing strange or startling about that for we read in verse 3 that: no-one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. The question which echoed around the world has been met with a stony silence. The response is nil. Nothing stirred, not a single person moved. Heaven is searched in a vain attempt to find someone who can open the scroll, not even the angels who are before the throne of God can do anything about it. Not a single individual on earth has the ability to do anything about it, no man or woman, no politician, no prime minister or president, no world banker or industrialist, no pope or archbishop, no philosopher or leading thinker, no revolutionary hero, no-one! And with an incredible stroke of the quill on the papyrus, we’re told that no-one under the earth has the power to do anything about it either, no fallen angels, no spirits of departed men, not even the prince of darkness himself! It’s an eerie silence, there’s a hush all around, you can feel the tension in the air. You can sense the impotence of man when faced with such a rousing challenge. This is a verse which beyond all others puts creation firmly in its place! The fruitless search has a real impact on the heart of John, it tears him apart on the inside, he’s emotionally distraught, for we read in verse 4 that he wept and wept because no-one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Poor John, he’s broken hearted, he’s devastated, he breaks down and floods into tears. He just can’t control his feelings any longer, the bubble has finally burst, he’s a fully grown man and he cries here like a young child who has passed through some traumatic experience. He knows that this world needs redemption, he knows it needs a leader. He knows the scroll must be opened and the seals broken for the purposes of God to be fulfilled. The fact that there was no-one worthy to do it spelt gloom into the mind of John. If this was the way it was going to be, he felt that his life was in vain, it meant he had been exiled for no apparent reason, and his many friends had been martyred for a lost cause. He weeps because he feels that the plan of God will not now come to pass, it will not come to fruition, it will all grind to a premature halt, the brakes will be applied to the unfolding drama of redemption. This is what really bothers him, this is what gets to him, this is the big problem so far as he is concerned, hence his display of raw emotion. This man wears his feelings on his sleeve! It’s interesting to note that this is the first time any man has ever shed a tear in heaven; the good news is, it will be the last time, for as the old gospel song tells us, ‘tears will never stain the streets of heaven.’ Before you and I reach that far better land, we’re told at the end of the book that ‘he will wipe away all tears from our eyes!’ What happens next is a moment of high drama. The silence is broken when out of the blue one of the elders whispered in John’s ear: ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of , the Root of , has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ That was verse 5 in Revelation 5. If this does nothing else, it paints a glistening portrait of a Christ who is unrivalled, a Christ who is incomparable. The beleaguered and disappointed apostle learns to his amazement that there’s nothing for him to worry about, he can pull himself together and get on with the rest of his life, for God has solved the problem. The twenty-four elders of the heavenly council who meet in session around God’s throne know the answer, one of them moves across to where John is standing and divulges the secret to him. He informs him that someone has been found who is worthy and he tells him exactly who that someone is. In a kind of coded language the elder introduces him as the ‘lion of the , the root of David.’ John doesn’t have to be told a second time, he knows exactly who the elder is referring to, John knows his Old Testament theology well, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ. It can be no other, it has to be Him! He fits the bill perfectly! He matches the description like no-one else can. The baseline is, Jesus alone is worthy! We know that to be true, John knew that to be the case, it just seems he needed to be reminded of it another time. The two names given to Christ in verse 5 are significant Jewish titles, the average Jew would be familiar with them, they’re steeped in the ancient traditions of Judaism. They refer to a couple of old prophecies which predict that there would come one from the tribe of Judah and from the family of David who would ultimately rule the world. The first one is mentioned away back in Genesis 49 where we find Jacob is on his deathbed, he has his twelve sons standing around him, he has a special word for each of them, and in verses 8-12 he pronounces a blessing on his son Judah. The second one is mentioned in the book of Isaiah, you find it in chapter 11 verses 1 and 2. These twin titles find their fulfilment when they converge in one person, like two great rivers they come together from different angles and form one which then flows on throughout eternity. They merge in the Messiah, the Christ, the Redeemer, the Saviour of the world. After all, he is the focal point of world history, he is the focal point of Bible prophecy. You see, the references here to the lion of Judah and the root of David are clear signs that Israel is coming back to centre stage as the end of human history approaches. As the scroll begins to unroll, God is calling Israel to the ultimate fulfilment of promises that were made to her so long ago. All of earth’s history is moving toward a climax, and I have no doubts in my mind, that the key to it all is the nation of Israel. It seems to me that the key to understanding history, the only way to make sense of history, is to see where Israel fits into the picture. The earth can’t be blessed until the nation of Israel is blessed. Even though the Messiah came to Israel and Israel rejected its Messiah, and even though God has chosen the church as his instrument of ministry to the world from the time of Christ until now, the time of Israel’s full restoration is just around the corner. It’s coming, and it’s not too far distant! The Old Testament prophets foretold it, John describes it here in the , the Messiah, the promised lion of Judah, the root of David, is coming to tie up the loose ends and bring to a glorious finale the consummation of the purposes of God. We don’t have time to go into it in any more detail right now but each of these names given to Christ is worthy of further consideration. We’ll do that in our next study and you will be thrilled to discover that each name he wears is a blessing he shares. Thank God, there is in the Lord Jesus, not only one who is willing, but surpassing that, one who is worthy!